FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 11, 2025

Press Contact: Mus Lamia | mlamia@council.nyc.gov 

Legislation mandates Narcan access, training, and administration for Corrections Officers and incarcerated overdose prevention kits for New Yorkers upon release

City Hall, NY– Today, in an important step for public health and criminal justice reform, the New York City Council voted to pass Intro 206-B to expand and strengthen overdose prevention measures within city jails. The legislation is designed to prevent future drug-related deaths in city jails by expanding access to Naloxone (commonly known by the brand name Narcan), a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses, and ensuring that uniformed staff and incarcerated individuals are trained and equipped to use it.

From 2022 to 2023, at least ten people incarcerated in Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities died from a suspected drug overdose. Advocates, direct service organizations, and oversight bodies, including the Board of Corrections and the NYS Attorney General’s Office,
have reported several instances where DOC officers failed to administer Narcan even when individuals displayed clear signs of overdose, often due to inadequate training or the medication not being readily available. Many people have also overdosed immediately after release from Rikers Island, according to public defender organizations.

Intro. 206-B addresses these issues and aims to prevent future drug-related deaths by improving policies related to Narcan in City jails. This bill requires the DOC to do the following:

● Administer Narcan training to all uniformed staff;
● Make Narcan training available to incarcerated people;
● Stock Narcan in all housing units;
● Verify that Narcan is properly stocked on a weekly basis;
● Provide annual reporting on training and the administration of Narcan; and
● Make opioid overdose kits available to those being discharged from jail into the
community.

Council Member Shahana Hanif introduced this bill alongside Council Members Rivera, Ossé, Bottcher, and Narcisse, and Public Advocate Williams. The bill was heard in the Committee on Criminal Justice on September 27, 2024. The bill was informed and supported by direct service providers and advocates, including the Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services, Brooklyn Defenders, Bronx Defenders, VOCAL-NY, and Freedom Agenda.

“Today, the Council is taking a critical step to saving lives in our City jails by passing my Intro 206-B, which ensures that basic, proven, life-saving tools like Narcan are part of our jail system’s standard protocols,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Since Mayor Adams has taken office, our city jails have become even more deadly places. Every overdose death in our jails is preventable, and once enacted, this legislation will save lives.”

“The Department of Corrections is mandated by the charter to provide care for all incarcerated individuals, and this above all means keeping people alive,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse, Chair, NYCC Committee on Criminal Justice. “All our agencies have a role to play in preventing overdoses and saving lives, but DOC staff have a critical role to play to reverse opioid overdoses when people are under their supervision. I commend Council Member Hanif for this bill that will save lives, keep families whole, and help reverse the alarming trend of deaths in city jails.”

“As the overdose crisis continues in our country, Narcan saves lives,” said Council Member Chi Ossé. “I was proud to pass legislation in my first term to distribute Narcan to bars and nightlife establishments, and I’m glad to see training and distribution coming to city jails next. I
thank Shahana for her leadership.”

“As we work to decarcerate, close Rikers, and create a future of true public safety, we have a responsibility to keep those who are incarcerated safe. Under this administration, this Mayor has egregiously failed to do that,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “This bill is an important step to help save the lives of those incarcerated in our brutal jails. I want to thank Council Member Hanif for her leadership in passing this lifesaving legislation.”

“The passage of Intro 206-B is a vital, life-saving step toward addressing the overdose crisis inside our city’s jails,” said Jennifer Hose, Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society. “For too long, people in custody have suffered — and died — due to the Department of Corrections’ failure to provide timely, adequate access to Narcan. This legislation ensures that both staff and incarcerated New Yorkers are equipped with the tools and training they need to prevent overdose deaths. We commend Council Member Hanif for sponsoring this legislation and call on Mayor Adams to sign the bill into law at once.”

“We have lost too many lives at Rikers Island due to opioid overdose. I have heard far too many clients recount harrowing, traumatizing scenes in which they helplessly watched as their friends and neighbors overdosed in front of their eyes, while they waited for correctional staff to arrive on the scene,” said Natalie Fiorenzo, Senior Corrections Specialist, New York County Defender Services. “People in custody are the first responders to most crises that occur in New York City’s jail system. This legislation is the first step in giving them the tools they need to come to the rescue in those critical moments during an overdose emergency.”

“We are grateful to Council Member Hanif for sponsoring this important legislation. While we work to shrink the number of people in City jails and close Rikers Island, it remains essential for people in Department of Correction custody to have the best possible access to live-saving measures, like Narcan,” said Darren Mack, Co-Director, Freedom Agenda. “While the Department of Correction seems intent to weaponize the real issue of drugs in Rikers to restrict the rights of people in custody – like through their efforts to limit mail access – we commend the City Council for focusing on evidence-based solutions rooted in public health.”

“For people incarcerated in New York City jails, harm reduction strategies and access to substance use treatment are critical,” said Lucas Marquez, Director of Civil Rights and Law Reform at Brooklyn Defender Services. “We thank the New York City Council and Council Member Hanif for passing legislation that will expand naloxone access and training in city jails. This simple, effective measure will save lives. Furthermore, the best way for the city to prevent drug overdose and death in its jails is to divert people from incarceration and the criminal legal system, which only exacerbate substance use and mental health issues.”

###

About Council Member Shahana Hanif: Council Member Shahana Hanif represents Brooklyn’s 39th District and is Co-Chair of the New York City Council’s Progressive Caucus and the Council’s Task Force to Combat Hate. Born and raised in the 39th District to Bangladeshi immigrant parents, Council Member Hanif has dedicated her career to advocating for working-class families and advancing a city built on
care, equity, and safety. Since her election in 2021, Council Member Hanif has passed significant legislation, including Local Law 85 (2023), which mandates universal residential composting; Local Laws 75 and 76 (2022), which protect and expand abortion rights in NYC; and Local Law 161 (2023), which created a pioneering Immigrant Workers Bill of Rights. She also enacted Local Law 45 (2024),
providing survivors of domestic violence with free lock changes, personal safety alarms, and door and window repairs. Council Member Hanif is the first Muslim woman ever elected to the New York City Council and the first woman to represent the 39th District in the New York City Council.